Latest Ratings

In short: My new favourite marathonIn full: Impeccable pre-race information; perfect on-the-day organisation; happy, helpful, welcoming marshals; a course that never got boring, even after 17 laps(!); a great goody bag full of useful things and of course THAT medal. Can't fault it.Date of review: May 31, 2014

In short: One of the friendliest races I've ever participated inIn full: The undulating first half is physically challenging, whereas the sometimes rather lonely second half is more mentally challenging. That said, this has to be one of the friendliest races I've ever run in, with some of the front runners urging me on as I plodded through the second half. And the marshalls are just fantastic. Getting a name check and a 'good luck for the rest of the race!' comment as I ran past the Half Mara finish was a lovely touch. Nice to get a goody bag with no rubbish in it: tshirt, medal, energy drink, bar, packet of crisps. Excellent value for money, and a race that Thanet RC can be very proud of.Date of review: September 9, 2011

In short: Worth getting up at 5am forIn full: I can't fault this race. Well organised, great facilities, good course, fantastic marshalls and supporters, wonderful pacers, and a goody bag worthy of the name. Date of review: November 19, 2008

In short: Lovely race, well organised, great route. Well done, Beckenham!In full: I ran this last year (which I believe was the first year) and loved it, so I spread the word and got some others to come along. Fortunately the weather had been good all week so the route was dry - if it was wet it would be a very different race! A good mix of grass, trail and woodland, 3 water stations, great marshals. Not a PB race, but I managed to knock 3 mins off last year's time so I can't complain. Tea and cakes at the clubhouse is a nice touch at the end. Well organised. I'll be back in 2009.Date of review: September 21, 2008

In short: Very disappointed, now I know why there was so little info about what time we would start running!In full: I'd always intended not to 'race' this, but to treat it as a steady run. Good job too - the crowds/puddles/course would have made it very difficult to get a particularly good time. Keeping 20,000+ runners penned into a stadium for over 2 hours with no info about how long they would be there, when all they wanted to do was RUN, was daft. I felt sorry for the performers to be honest, trying to get us all dancing and motivated, when we didn't want to use our energy up. Should have been an afternoon race with the concert afterwards. And the scrum at the end for shirts was nothing short of a nightmare - I wonder how many were wasted by being trampled underfoot? Not good, Nike, not good at all.Date of review: September 1, 2008

In short: Can't wait to do it againIn full: This race came highly recommended by my club and I can see why. Great organisation, great route, fantastic marshalls (lots of them and very encouraging) - just an all-round great race with a fantastic atmosphere.Date of review: October 15, 2007

In short: Harder than I expected but a lovely runIn full: As I usually run on road I seriously underestimated how taxing trail running can be (gravelly hills, narrow paths, bumpy roots, etc). At 5k I revised my expectations of a good PB and opted just to enjoy the run, which I absolutely did. And still shaved a few seconds off of my last (road) 10K. Tea and cake (and apples) at the end were very welcome. I'll definitely be back next year. Well done, Beckenham.Date of review: September 23, 2007

In short: Fantastic 1st Half MarathonIn full: Good pre-race information, great on-the-day organisation. Marshalls were extremely friendly and helpful (could have done with a couple more between 9-11 miles for those of us finishing after 2 hours though). My first half-marathon and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everyone was so encouraging. Will definitely be back again. Thanks to all those who stood in the rain to help out, it made SUCH a difference.Date of review: May 13, 2007